Chocolate Mousse Cake

This indulgent Chocolate Mousse Cake is a recipe from the legendary Franco Taruschio, founder of the critically acclaimed restaurant The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny. See the ‘Visit Wales’ site to see lots of fun places to visit and eat when in Wales.

Prep: 45 mins

Cooling: 2 hours

Difficulty: medium

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

To buy:

250g whole hazelnuts

1 tbsp cocoa

250g quality dark chocolate

1 espresso cup of strong coffee

½ measure rum plus 25ml

200g fresh cream, whipped Cream

250g tub of mascarpone cheese

1 tsp ground coffee

A handful of raspberries

Store-cupboard essentials:

4 eggs

250g cane sugar

METHOD

Brush a baking sheet with vegetable oil to coat evenly.
Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a very low heat and heat gently, without stirring, until the sugar starts to dissolve.
As soon as the sugar has liquefied and turned a caramel colour, add the hazelnuts and stir in quickly. Pour the mixture on to the oiled baking sheet and leave to cool and harden,. Once cool, smash or crush it.
Meanwhile melt the dark chocolate in a bain marie, leave to cool then mix in an espresso cup of cold coffee, half a measure of rum, the egg and finally fold in the whipped cream, obtaining a soft froth.
Cover the base of a lined spring-form tin with the crushed brittle.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the tin on top of the hazelnut base, smooth over and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
When it’s time to serve, sprinkle the mousse cake with sifted cocoa, and place raspberries on top to decorate.
To make the cream, mix the cheese, ground coffee and the measure of rum with a fork and adjust to taste.
Serve next to the mousse.